Ever since the introduction of the LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics kit in 1998, there has been a desire to explore all the possibilities of what can be done with it. Along with this desire, many different LEGO robotics competitions emerged as well. Among the most popular today is FIRST LEGO League (FLL). LEGO MINDSTORMS kits have changed considerably over the years, and the current MINDSTORMS NXT system offers an array of new functionality with improved sensors, motors, and programming abilities. For people who have been working with the MINDSTORMS system for many years, these changes have been welcome additions. However, for people new to the world of LEGO robots, things can get overwhelming very quickly.
The goal of this book is to help coaches and team members better understand what it takes to build a winning robot for competitive LEGO robotics events. Some knowledge of the LEGO MINDSTORMS system would be helpful prior to using this book. The design principles covered in this book are intended not to be strict guidelines but design foundations to help get teams to the next level of competiveness.
Over the years, I have observed that teams typically need a few years of competing before they learn all the helpful tips and tricks that are used by winning teams. With the help of this book, a team should be able to learn some of these steps earlier and use them as a foundation for creating its own winning ideas and designs.
With FLL and other LEGO robotics events, winning is not always the final goal; learning how to solve problems and overcome challenges as a team are often the desired experience to take away from the event. So even though this book is intended to help with creating a winning robot design, be sure not lose sight of what the experience is all about—learning and having fun along the way.
This book is broken into four major principals—design, navigation, manipulation, and organization— and each of these concepts is represented in a part of this book.
Design is the thought process that every robot team needs before the first LEGO brick is even snapped together. A winning robot team not only understands the rules but the challenge that they must tackle. Part 1, "Introduction," covers the design phase.
Navigation is the art of moving a robot successfully around the playing field, and it's explained in Part 2. As you'll learn, most robots have no trouble moving, but moving consistently at an event is what makes for a winning robot.
Manipulation is extending a simple robot into a powerful robot that can control and change its environment. Learning about how properly design attachments for your robot to meet a particular challenge can make for a winning robot, as we'll explore in Part 3.
Organization is a must for any winning team. A team that has its resources organized in an efficient fashion will find that much of the chaos at LEGO robotics event will be eliminated and allow the team to focus on winning. We'll look at successful organizational strategies in Part 4, "Programming."
I hope that you and your team will read through this book and find concepts and techniques that will help you in areas that you are struggling with when working with your LEGO robot. Part of the fun of building and competing with LEGO robots is the discovery, but at the same time, nothing is more frustrating than getting yourself stuck in a corner where you feel you can't move forward.
I want the topics covered to help guide you past those moments and put you back on track to having fun and learning what it takes to build a successful, winning robot. Some of what you learn in this book will be helpful to your design. Some of what you read in this book might not apply to your situation, but I believe all of what I cover to fall within the knowledge a LEGO robot designer should posses, even if it doesn't apply to your current challenge.
Enjoy the experience; be creative, and try new things. Don't be afraid to fail. And most importantly, play well!